How do developers study Java src code ?

[u/Full_School_7230]

Hey everyone,

I’m currently learning Java to build projects and grind Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA), but I am hitting a massive wall with how the code is structured.

Today, I was trying to implement a simple ServerSocket. To understand what was happening, I instinctively Ctrl+Clicked on it. The IDE immediately unzipped the internal source code and dragged me down a never-ending rabbit hole: from ServerSocket, to SocketImpl, all the way into NioSocketImpl and hidden factory classes.

It throws hundreds of lines of complex internal implementation code at me. It is incredibly time-consuming, frustrating, and completely breaks my momentum. I feel like I'm getting sucked into a black hole of code that I didn't even write, and if I keep this up, I am going to get stuck and fail to actually build anything.

I need a serious reality check and some practical advice:

1. How do developers actually read and reason about Java without constantly opening up the internal source files?

2. What is the fastest, cleanest way to look up how to use a class/method without getting bogged down by its underlying implementation code?

3. How do I force myself to treat things like ServerSocket as "black boxes" so I can just focus on building my app and solving DSA patterns?

Any strategies to help me break this habit and speed up my learning would be deeply appreciated. Thank you!

[u/vegan_antitheist]

That's heavily optimised code. You probably won't write code like that. Most companies want you to write code that is easy to understand and maintain. JRE code is not like that. The JVM might even run something else. What you see is the implementation used by your own JRE. But when you ship it, it could be something else. You should only read the interfaces. They are the abstraction you use. It's a contract that usually doesn't change over time. If you code it to work with the actual implementation you might do something that can break with a new release.